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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jocelyn Warren, MPH¹, S. Marie Harvey, MPH, DrPH¹, and Samuel Vuchinich, PhD². (1) Department of Public Health, Oregon State University, 256 Waldo Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-6406, (541) 746-7078, warrejoc@onid.orst.edu, (2) Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, 322 Milam Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-5102

The overall goal of this study is to further understanding of the effects of abortion on women's mental health by examining whether abortion contributes to the development of depression over time among a nationally representative sample of young adult women. Previous studies have had conflicting findings and methodological limitations have presented challenges to interpretation. This study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which offers several advantages over data used in previous studies, including a large, representative sample and the inclusion of a wide range of factors relevant to abortion and depression. Also, the data are recent, presenting an up-to-date picture of the relationship between abortion history and depressive symptoms among young women, as well as longitudinal, making it possible to establish the temporal direction of effects. Respondents were interviewed three times (Waves I-III) between 1994-95 and 2001-02. Members of the sample for this study include the 2,750 women from the core sample who reported at least one pregnancy by Wave III, 21% of whom reported at least one abortion. Of women with an abortion history, 17% had had more than one abortion and 37% had also given birth. Although the women range in age from 18-28, the majority of respondents were 20-24 years old. Multivariate logistic regression analyses will be used to assess whether the presence of depressive symptoms in Wave III can be predicted by a history of abortion. Implications for abortion counseling, public policy and reproductive rights will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Report the percentage of women in the sample who have had at least one abortion.
• Identify what factors were most strongly associated with depressive symptoms among young women with a history of pregnancy.
• Discuss the implications of the findings for abortion providers, state and federal abortion policy and reproductive rights.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered